Page 75 of Chev's Mate

I hear the fear behind his words, and I instinctively step forward to comfort him. Chev is my mate, and that’s grown to mean something to me.

“How long would it take to move my things here?”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

CHEV

VANESSA’S LAUGHTER IS loud, and I stop speaking so I can better listen to it.

She’s upstairs packing her belongings with Charlie, and it seems the two are having much fun. I’ve overheard them saying my name several times, which I love. Charlie enjoys talking poorly about her males, but Vanessa only says good things about me.

She must love me more than Charlie loves hers.

I grin and shove a couch pillow into a box. I’m unsure what belongs to my mate and what came with the house, but Aziel doesn’t seem to care either way. He’s keen to get rid of all the tiny decorative pillows, but I like them. They’re soft, and I’m happy to take them off Aziel’s hands.

“Vanessa has been taking advantage of her paychecks,” Aziel mutters, holding up a ring.

It’s a red one she purchased a few days after visiting the lava pits, and it must have slipped off her finger while she was lying on the couch. It makes me happy to imagine my mate purchasing herself little trinkets. I’ll buy her thousands of them.

Gray and Silas teleport into the room, the two all over one another. The incubus curls his body around the fate, and I roll my eyes when I notice him sliding a hand up his shirt. It’s annoying, and I toss a box toward them to stop the flirting.

They promised to be efficient, but Aziel and I are packing things faster than they’re teleporting them to my home. My people don’t like when demons are on our land unsupervised, and I promised them I’d have everything completed within an hour.

We’re running out of time, and the horny incubus is to blame. His mates should’ve fed him before bringing him out today.

“Enough,” Aziel snaps.

Silas straightens up, but Gray lingers. I watch with mild interest as he turns and grins at Aziel, his eyes shining as he slides his hand further up Silas’s chest. I turn away and begin wrapping the stupid bird figurines Vanessa insists on bringing with her.

I hate them, and I hate that she’s insisting they come with us, but I won’t argue it.

At least, not right now. I’ll wait until she’s settled before slowly transitioning them out of our home. I’ll first put them in a drawer, hidden from the eye, and bring them to Echo’s after a few months. She’ll keep them in case Vanessa notices their departure and grows angry. If she doesn’t, I’ll have Echo throw them away after six months.

If Vanessa happens to notice afterward, I’ll lie and say I don’t know what happened before offering to buy bear ones as replacements. It’s the only lie I’ll ever tell my mate, but it must be done. These atrocities cannot possibly live in our home around our babies. They’ll be frightened of them.

A smile spreads over my face as I think about our future children. Vanessa and I haven’t discussed when we’d like them,and I don’t imagine it will be for a while. She’s busy with work, and I don’t think she’s eager for the distraction a pregnancy will bring. Maybe in a few years when she feels more established at work. She’ll probably be in a larger facility then. Hopefully, the one in the shifter lands.

Still, I can’t wait to fill our home with tiny footsteps.

“This one is ready to go,” I say, spinning around.

Silas is gone, as are two boxes he must’ve taken with him, but Aziel and Gray are now the ones wasting time. Aziel has his hand curled around Gray’s neck, forcing his head into a submissive tilt, and I watch the two before huffing and carrying my box over.

Aziel doesn’t let up as I approach, and I physically place my body between them until he has no choice but to release the incubus.

“You can do that later,” I say, shoving the box against Aziel’s chest. “You’re in charge of transporting, and Gray will help me pack.”

Gray’s too slow, probably lingering around my home whenever he’s there. I have a feeling my things will be moved when Vanessa and I return, and I hope Gray hasn’t made my home smell of him. I also hope he isn’t terrorizing my people.

He’s been obsessed with my lands since we invited him to give a sex demonstration several years ago, and I know he takes great pride in the large number of shifter women who are attracted to him.

I think the women are being inappropriate.

I don’t lust for the succubus who took us males into a private room and spread her legs. We were nothing but polite, and there was no scent of arousal to be found as she explained her body and demonstrated how most women enjoy being pleasured.

It was educational, and I don’t know what Gray did, but he left a lasting impression on the women. It bothers many of the shifter males.

Aziel grabs two boxes and disappears, and I direct Gray to the bathroom.